Translucence
by annavale23
Summary: He can only see darkness. She is alone and isolated. Can change bring them together? ... [An AU about how Gordon dealt with his change into an Inhuman. Gordon x OC]. Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1: 'So I May Become'

**CHAPTER ONE:**

 **'SO I MAY BECOME'**

* * *

 _ **Change (def.):** _

_Verb: To make or become different_

 _Noun: An act or process in which something becomes different._

* * *

The walls loom up around me, high and dark, trapping me completely within the place. I swallow nervously, trying to push the panic down within me. I remind myself that I've been prepared for this. I knew what this would entail. But as my fingertips scrape against the cold panels, I realise that no amount of training could ever truly prepare me for what I had become.

I sit down, keeping a hand on the wall to remind me where I am. Taking a deep breath, I cross my legs neatly, and focus on something, anything other than the situation I've currently ended up in.

It can't be as bad as I think it is, even though I'm already sure I know what's happened.

She came to me, a few hours ago. I can't remember the time. I'm not even too sure what the date is anymore. She said that she'd be back, so I just have to wait it out until she returns for me. It can't be long. I refuse to think about what happens if she breaks that promise and doesn't return for me. I know that if I think about that, I'll lose the scraps of sanity left to me.

The change is a scary process, they all said. It will always surprise you, shock you, horrify you. You have no idea what might happen to you once you step into the mist. You may hate it. You may hate yourself. But whatever you feel, once you've entered the mist, there's no going back. You're stuck like it for life.

I educated myself on all these processes, I learnt all that had happened to those chosen before me. But even though I had prepared myself for anything: an extra head maybe, or an ability to kill all who touched me, I hadn't even entertained the possibility that I might lose the thing most precious to me.

My sight.

I concentrate on my breathing. In, out. In, out. I keep to the simple pattern, to keep myself calm as I stare into the darkness that is to become my world now. I know this room well, so I think I could navigate myself around. But I don't want to move. If I remain still, maybe it won't be true. Maybe I'll wake up from this nightmare.

I was one of the special ones. I was chosen for the change after years of being prepared, mentally and psychically. And then, when it was determined that I was ready, I went through with the change. Even now, as I stay in the dark, I don't regret following through with my destiny. Everything happens for a reason, right?

I want to explore my change. I want to discover what I can do. But after the last time, when she came, I'm scared. I couldn't stop moving all over the place, with this thrumming energy inside of me that demanded to be released. But when I allowed that energy to take over, I couldn't stop it. It took over and like a bouncy ball released in a small contained area, my body was forced to move unable to come to a stop until I hit into her. And when she hugged me, the energy calmed for a while. But I can still feel it within me, constantly moving, uncontainable. I imagine a cage, a locked silver box, and I try to shove the ball of energy away, at least long enough for me to stop feeling as restless as I am. But my attempt to calm myself fails, as the energy within me slips out of my grasp yet again. I let out a small growl of annoyance. It could be years until I learn to control this power. Years of being restless! I don't know if I can stand it.

I get to my feet, sitting down not helping me anymore. Slowly, keeping my hand touching the wall, I begin to pace, up and down, to try and calm the restless energy. I walk up and down, always touching the wall to orient me. The walking seems to help calm me, and for the briefest of seconds I relax.

And then it happens. My body, just as I'm about to take the next step, _moves_. One moment I'm standing next to the wall, the next the wall is nowhere to be found. I wave my arms around violently, keeping my fear trapped deep within. My fingers flail in the air, passing through it and finding nothing to hold onto. I'm alone, trapped and I have no idea where in this room I am anymore.

The urge to cry in desperation passes through me, but nothing happens. The fear, the anxiety I'm feeling starts to build up in my chest, until I can barely breathe through the blind panic. I clench my hands into tight fists, until my hands shake from the effort. I've never felt so… _powerless_ before. My body is no longer controlled by me, but instead this power's whims. If it wants me to move, I will have no choice but to obey. My will is no longer my own. I am at the mercy of my change.

My chest heaves as I breathe rapidly. Although I can feel the floor under my feet, it feels like I'm adrift, with nothing to anchor me to the earth.

"Gordon." A soft voice speaks, appearing from nowhere. I turn my head, trying to locate the position of the noise's source. I hear footsteps, light and quick as the person pads over to me. My hand is seized quickly, gentle fingers pulling mine out of a fist. The hand holds mine in an attempt to comfort me.

"Gordon." The voice repeats in that soft tone. I take a shuddering breath.

"Jiaying." My own voice is uncertain as I grasp onto her hand tightly. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me again Gordon." Jiaying says with a smile in her voice. "How are you feeling?"

"I can't keep still." I tell her as the energy within begs for a release. "I can't-"

"Shhh, Gordon." Jiaying soothes, using her free hand to stroke my hair away from my feverish skin.

"I can't control it." I mutter, clinging to Jiaying's hand like it's the only thing keeping me grounded. I feel like if I let go, I'll drift away into the abyss.

"No-one can, not at first, Gordon." Jiaying remind me. "It's perfectly normal."

"My eyes?" I have to ask, the question slipping from my lips. Jiaying is silent for a moment, confirming my worst fears. Some of us, when we change, only change on the insider, remaining the exact same on the outside. The others, we change on the outside as well as the inside. And if Jiaying's silence is anything to go by, I fall into the latter category. Whatever's happened to my eyes… it's permanent now. I can never return to normal.

"What happens now then?" I gather my composure. I have to be strong. I can't let the news of my change affect me. I've prepared long enough for it; I can deal with it, I know I can.

I sense a hesitation from Jiaying. Maybe she's worried about how well I seem to be taking this, I don't know. But whatever the reason for her hesitation, she seems to dispel it from her mind mere moments later.

"The usual process." Jiaying tells me in a calm voice, a source of wisdom and serenity. "I'll help you through your change a little longer, if you would like-"

"No." I interrupt her sharply, my voice surprising loud and firm. "Don't attempt to pamper me, Jiaying. I am not a child anymore. I'll move onto my transitioning as planned."

"If you wish." Jiaying accepts my decision after a few beats. I know she probably doesn't think I'm ready to move on from this chamber for a while. I've lost my eyes, and god knows what's going to happen when my gift fully manifests, and only a few minutes ago I couldn't even breathe through the uncomfortable feeling my gift causes me. But I know that I can not be coddled. I knew what was coming, hence I have no right to act pathetic. I _will_ master this power, this _curse_. I will not be choked by it.

"Who will be my transitioner, my guide?" I ask her next, still blinking into the never-ending darkness. It scares me, this dark, but I won't allow that fear to consume me. I am stronger than that.

"Gordon, please don't try to be brave." Jiaying seizes my hand anew, with a strange fervour. "I know what it feels like. Don't hold it all in. _Confide_ in me."

"I was prepared for this." I repeat the words that are currently echoing through my head. "I am fine, Jiaying. I don't need to talk about it, because it simply is."

"Gordon, my poor boy." One of Jiaying's hands touch my cheek suddenly, her fingertips light and soft against my skin. I wait for her next sentence, her next consoling attempt. I predict a few ore words about it's okay to hold back, that I should rest and come to terms with my change. I wait with bated breath for the words, so I can deny them before they are passed through her lips. But they never come. Maybe Jiaying knows me better than I thought. Or maybe she's just too tired to fight me over it anymore.

"I have picked out your guide, Gordon." She resumes answering my earlier question. "She has accepted to guide you through your change, to help you discover your gift and all the blessings it contains."

"'She'?" I pick up on the pronoun. "Do I know her?"

"No. Before you, she has never accepted to take on a changed one to guide, even though her skills are great." Jiaying's answer comes swiftly. "You will spend time with her, until you are more familiar with her ways than you are with yourself. And then together, you will ford into the uncharted waters of your gift, until you can reveal it for all to see."

My gift stirs within me, twisting at the mention of it. I grimace as it shoots a wave of pain through me, as I try to bury it. Supressing a gift can come to no good, but I know no other ways to deal with it. And that is where my guide will come in. She will teach me to control my gift, to embrace it, until I no longer feel like suppressing it. Until it becomes second nature for me to _use_ it, instead of hiding from it.

"When will my transitioning start?" I ask Jiaying. "When am I released from this room?"

"I would like to see you wait a few more days." She responds, her fingertips tracing light patterns on my hand to reassure me of her presence. I hate the feeling of blindness, not being able to see what's displayed on her face and instead having to infer it from what I can assume. "But I know that you believe that not to be an option. So you will start immediately." Jiaying pauses, before dropping my hand suddenly.

"Come in." She calls in an authoritative voice. My spine stiffens at the thought of another person seeing me, seeing what I've become, but I lock those thoughts away. I must have no embarrassment with my guide. She will have no judgement visible, so I must return the courtesy.

The door opens and I hear footsteps. They pad over the floor, and I hear material shift against legs as they move. Hair is tossed over one shoulder as I hear the light thud of the strands hitting their back. The person stops in front of where I presume Jiaying stands.

"Jiaying." The person speaks in a soft gentle voice, like the tide retreating away from the beach, creeping back over the sand. I focus on the noise.

"Gordon." Jiaying takes my hand again, and slowly pulls on it, indicating I should take a step forward. Stumbling, I allow myself to be dragged forward a few steps, until I can hear shallow breathing loud in my ears. Jiaying moves my hand and then I flinch as it comes into contact with another one. The skin is warm and soft as Jiaying lays my hand against this unfamiliar palm, the natural heat reassuring me in a strange way. "This is Liliana."

 _Liliana._ The word rings clear in my ears, as my mind immediately connects this skin with that name. I memorise the soft suppleness of the skin, and imprint the name on it. If I can no longer see, I must learn how to hear what I can't see, touch what I can't view, and remember what I can no longer just notice.

"Liliana." Jiaying's robes shift slightly as she moves and then another hand is covering mine. This Liliana's other hand. Like her other one, it's warm and reassuring. Her fingers curl over my tense hand, her fingers gently squeezing the hand, as if she's introducing her skin to mine. "This is Gordon. You will guide him through this. You will help him receive the full capabilities of his gift. You will be his light in the darkness, and you will help him transition from his old life to this new, permanent existence."

"Hello, Gordon." The voice speaks again, this time to me. I swallow as I realise that I can't even look towards her as I reply.

"Hello, Liliana." I respond to her polite greeting.

"I look forward to working with you." I hear a smile laced into her words. "I'm sure we will have a lot to teach each other."

I go to say something else, and then it happens again. Everything _shifts_ , and I'm thrown off balance as my feet leave the floor, and I'm sent back out into the dark. Instead of landing upright this time, my body is sprawled out on the cold floor, my breath completely stolen from me. As I use my hands to pull my body into a seated position, trying to remain calm and in control, not wanting to lose it in front of both Jiaying and my guide Liliana.

 _This will be my life now. A messy, dark existence where I will forever be dependent on others. I will not be able to live as a free person again, unless I master this gift. And to do that, I must trust my guide, trust that she will lead me into the blinding light so I may emerge a new and changed person. So I may become a true Inhuman._

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 **I hope you enjoyed the first instalment of _Translucence._ Did you know that this is the first Gordon/OC fic to be posted? When I had this idea, I had to check if there was an idea like it, and it turns out that I'm the first so far! How awesome.**

 **Thanks to anyone who's reading this!**

 **Please leave me a review to tell me what you thought so far?**


	2. Chapter 2: 'Talking It Out'

**CHAPTER TWO:**

 **'TALKING IT OUT'**

* * *

 ** _Control (def.):_**

 _Verb:_ _the power to influence or direct people's behaviour or the course of events_

* * *

The breeze is cool against my face, reminding me of its presence even if I can't see it. After Jiaying introduced me to my guide, the woman named Liliana whose job is to help my through my change, she lead me gently away from the room I had been sitting in, tormented by my gift, and to a room she claimed no one would disturb us in. Walking to this room was a strange experience, and it was humiliating. I felt like a blind old man, unable to walk on his own like the pathetic person he is. It didn't help that my power transported me away 3 times.

Now, I'm sat on a cushion of some type, my legs crossed neatly as my hands rest on the rough material of my jeans. Without my eyes, I rely totally on my ears as Liliana moves around the room, shuffling things around until she finally sits down opposite me.

"I hope you don't mind the window being open." Her voice is soft and smooth, like a bowl of liquid honey. Her use of language is eloquent and graceful, much like her movements – from what I can sense. "I can close it if you would like."

"It's fine." My voice is a little croaky, and sounds surprisingly loud compared to the gentle whisper of hers. "I don't mind it."

"I want you to feel comfortable in this room." She says. "You are the priority here, Gordon."

"I like it." I assure her, clearing my throat a few times. In the last few days, I've been using my voice only for screaming, not for talking, and it shows in the hoarseness of my voice. My voice scrapes over the rawness of my throat, and it aches a little bit. I wonder whether I should ask for a drink, but instead decide that I can handle it.

"Maybe we should reintroduce ourselves, to become more acquainted." Liliana suggests. "I'm here to help you after all, and that can't happen if you feel awkward around me."

"I'm Gordon." I say simply, biting back the next part of my sentences. Like how am I meant to be comfortable around her when I don't even know what she looks like. And like how Jiaying has only ever been the one I can rely on, been the one I can trust. I'm not sure that I can ever become at ease with Liliana, since it's taken years for Jiaying to gain my trust, and transitioning should not last a year.

To distract myself from my thoughts, I flex my fingers slightly, and find that the movement actually calms the roaring storm of energy within me. I realise that this whole process feels so strange to me, because I'm trying to meet the woman who will become a huge part of my life, spending all our time together, yet I can't even see her. If she feels something, she must speak it because I won't be able to see it. I will never see a proud look on her face if I master my abilities, nor will I see her anger if I start to self-destruct from despair. I won't even know what she looks like, so I begin to sketch myself a small impression in my mind. So I can at least pretend that I know who Liliana is, instead of a huge empty chasm in the darkness of my eyes.

"Hi Gordon." A small smile is threaded through her words. "I'm Liliana. I'll be here for as long as you need me, until you master this gift you have been given."

"Do you have a gift as well?" I ask her, already knowing the answer. One does not become a transitioner without first having a change themselves, so they can relate to the newly changed, and therefore help them to the best of their abilities.

"Yes, Gordon." Liliana replies in that soft voice of hers. A knowing smile is twisted through her words. "I have a gift, much like you do now."

"What is it?" The question is blurted from my lips before I even fully think about what I'm saying. In our culture, it's considered impolite to ask about someone's change unless they want to share it with you. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that." My next words come almost before my question has been asked, each word colliding into the next in my hurry to apologise for my impoliteness. "I wasn't thinking straight."

"It's okay to be curious, Gordon." Her response comes swiftly, her tone soft and gentle. "But I want to concentrate on _your_ gift, not mine."

Her answer is expected, but still my heart sinks a little bit. I'm curious to know what my transitioner's gift is, especially since I can't even see if she has a physical change like I bear now. And it would be rude to ask her again, after she has so carefully dodged around it.

"What do you want to discuss about it?" I push my curiosity to one side. If Liliana wants to share her change with me, she will when she is ready. Not before.

"You can't see right now, can you?" I hear a swish of material, and then a shadow falls across me, so I assume that she's moved closer to me. This is confirmed when her light fingers pick up one of my hands. I stiffen instinctively, before forcing myself to relax. Liliana slowly laces her fingers through mine, her fingertips light against my skin. I swallow, the noise achingly loud in my ears.

"But you can _feel_." Her fingers squeeze my hand before she moves again, and I hear her hair move as she brings herself closer to me. I think she's on her knees, because they brush against my crossed legs as she moves in even closer. I can feel her warm breath close to my face, smell the strawberry pink scent of her hair. Liliana takes a shallow breath before resting her forehead against mine, her hair falling forward until it tickles my cheek. But it's not uncomfortable. Instead, I relish the feeling, because it proves that although I live in eternal blackness now, I'm still alive instead of in some sort of purgatory.

"Tell me what you can feel." She instructs, her voice dropping into the softest whisper as she keeps her forehead against mine. "Tell me everything. What do you feel against your skin?"

"The breeze." My voice is husky and low. "From the window. It's blowing over us."

"Yes." Liliana whispers. "What else?"

"The cushion below me." I tell her. "The clothes on my skin."

"And?" She asks, her voice rough and low. "Is there anything else?"

"I can feel your fingertips." I continue, feeling like my eyes are closed even though I know that's no longer possible. "Your hair against my cheek. Your forehead against mine."

I feel like a child, trying to do things that are too far out of my reach. I'm an infant compared to my former self now; to understand my change, I must erase myself and start again. Knowing this does not make it any easier to accept my new fate. But I know that I have to, otherwise I'll become bitter and my gift will control me instead of the other way around.

Liliana stays in her position for a while longer, her breathing even and soft. I swallow nervously again, feeling the warmth of her body radiating towards mine. But eventually, she has to move away again, and after she sits back down, I strangely miss her presence.

"The point of that exercise was to show you something, Gordon." Liliana starts to speak once more. "To show you that although your eyes are gone, you still have 4 other senses that are just as strong as your vision once was. Touch and taste. Smell and hear. You have all this, so my first lesson with you will teach you to utilise these senses."

"Let me guess: over the course of these 'lessons', you'll teach me to appreciate all my senses, even though I'll never be able to see ever again?" My voice is bitter. "Though I'll never be able to stay _still_ again?" My body starts to tremble, and I know what's going to happen. I'm going to move. Fear pulses through my veins as I feel the vibrations growing stronger.

"Gordon!" Liliana's voice, sharp and loud, cuts through my haze. I feel like I would blink if I could, and I feel the energy within me calm suddenly, vanishing without a trace.

My breath comes fast and panicked. I don't know how I can live with the constant fear of teleportation, especially if I can't learn to control it. And god knows how long that will take.

"You have to remain calm." She says after a few tense seconds.

"I don't know how to." I half snap at her. "You say that like it's a switch that I can just turn off, and it's not. I can't control it at all, Liliana! It has it's own will."

"It is a part of you!" She interrupts me fiercely. "Gordon, this power, this change is not a living thing. It is _you,_ a new part of you that you _can_ master, you _can_ control. Of course it will take time, but one day when I tell you to switch it on or off, _you_ _will_ _be able to do it._ I know you will."

"How?" I ask her simply, my shoulders twitching slightly from the energy stored within me. It needs a release, I know it does, but I don't want to teleport and give it that release. Because doing that completely and utterly scares me.

"I will teach you how." She replies, also simply. "Because that is my job."

"Control is a strange concept." Liliana starts up again. "Because controlling something can mean losing your freedom, but in this case you need to learn control. Or you will lose your freedom."

"So how do I stop losing control?" I ask her. "I don't know how to start on that path."

"We start small." She answers. "So first of all, you say that you can't stop moving. That you teleport if you don't actively think about staying still."

I nod minutely, tapping my fingers against my knee in an attempt to calm the energy inside me. Is this how I'm going to live from now on? Forever trying to placate this force within me? I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep up. I'm exhausted already; so how am I mean to keep dodging through life constantly running away from myself?

"Why are you afraid of your power, Gordon?" Liliana asks. "Think carefully about your answer."

"I'm afraid…" I search myself for my answer. I consider lying, but I'm just too tired to keep playing these elaborate games. "I'm afraid because I can't see, yet I teleport. So where ever I go, I can never see where I am. I'm completely vulnerable." It feels a little weird to be admitting this to her, a stranger basically. But total honesty is the only way to survive this change.

"You're alone." She says. "Alone and scared."

I don't answer her, hating how I sound now. How I used to be normal, and now I'm just a scared child, alone in the big, dark world.

"So I have an idea." Liliana continues, her words sparking something in my head, although I quickly squash it. Whatever her idea, it's probably not going to help me. I have to think like that now. Otherwise, I'll lose myself to the darkness.

"What?" I can't help myself but ask. Because I'm that pathetic. Because I'm clinging to any scrapes for hope. Just… because.

"Let me be your eyes." She says.

"What?" I repeat, this time incredulously. "What would that even mean?"

"Exactly what it means." Liliana is patient despite my insulting tone. "I will be your eyes. I have observed your very unique gift, Gordon, and I have faith that one day you will be able to master this ability. But you move all other that place, and you can't perceive where you are. So at all times, I want you to be touching my wrist, or holding my hand, or just be close enough to grab at me."

"What use will that do?" I refuse to believe in her idea.

"Because, if I'm right, you will teleport me _with_ you." She says. "And then, where ever you end up, I will be there to tell you where you are."

"There's no guarantee that I can teleport you." I argue with her. "We don't even know how my abilities work, so what if I can't teleport you with me?"

"Then we will work on another way to help you." Liliana says it like it's the simplest thing in the world. "But until you can prove that our technique won't work, make sure you can always grab out to me." To continue her point, she reaches over and wraps her fingers around my wrist. I flinch slightly at her touch, it being unexpected, before forcing myself to relax and allow her to touch my skin.

.

After a while, Liliana starts to explain the room to me, while I try to digest her idea and try not to concentrate on her fingers on my wrist. Teleporting _with_ her? Even if I could teleport her, we don't even know if my gift will affect her in any way. My body has changed to handle it. Are we even positive that her body could cope with it? I try to tell myself to stop obsessing about it. She's offered it, which means that she's ready to accept any of the repercussions. But I can't help but feel like this will end badly.

Liliana tells me that, until I've mastered my ability into my sleep, we'll be rooming together. It's too risky to leave me on my own, she says, but I barely hear her. _I hadn't thought about teleporting in my sleep._

She tells me that the very room we're sitting in has two single beds on either sides, and it will become our room. She asks if I have a problem with that, because I've been very silent, and I of course assure her no. Because even if I had a problem with it, they can't exactly do anything about it, can they? It's not like anything could be changed, because rules must to be obeyed to ensure the overall safety of Afterlife and it's residents. No matter what you're personal feelings towards what you must do to ensure that those rules are upheld.

 _Rule breakers are not tolerated, for they threaten all of Afterlife. They are given a number of chances, and are guided by a guide. But some people are a lost cause. And those people… are taken care of. Swiftly. And without emotional attachments._

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed the second chapter. Defintions of words that link to the chapter will be listed at the top of every chapter.**

 **If you did enjoy this chapter, maybe you could write me a review down in the box below?**

 **Also, thanks to** ** _randomfan220_ , _Castiel'sHunter10, animexchick,_ _Silverfbcs_ and _loveisthewayforme_ for following, and the last two for their favourites. :) You guys are awestastic!**

 **[FYI, if anyone's wondering, I'll be updating whenever I've written a chapter, but I do have a fairly busy schedule, so it could be another week, or even two weeks. But reviews motivate me!]**

 **(PLEASE - No spoilers in reviews! I haven't watched episodes 2.19 - 2.22)**


	3. Chapter 3: 'Escaping Into Unreality'

**CHAPTER THREE:**

 **'ESCAPING INTO UNREALITY'**

* * *

 _ **Reality (def.):**_

 _Verb:_ _the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them/_

 _A thing that is actually experienced or seen, especially when this is unpleasant._

* * *

I have to come to terms with myself.

It's not an optional choice anymore: if I can't accept my change, it will take longer for me to return to being among others of my kind, excluding Liliana and Jiaying.

I know that sometimes, it can take endless months for someone to recuperate from their change, even years for them to fully understand their gift, but I don't _want_ to wait that long.

For the first time since getting this gift, I wonder whether going through the mist was the wisest decision.

Maybe I shouldn't have done it. Is the gift I've received worth the loss of my eyes; the loss of my will to stay still?

Liliana tells me that it's getting late, so I should sleep. It's being a tiring day, and I need my rest

"I'll be back soon." She says before she sweeps out of the room, the door shutting gently behind her.

I sit on the edge of the bed that Liliana led me to, silent for a few moments. I feel oddly empty, alone in a room I can't even perceive.

I swing my legs up on the ground, and lay my head down on the pillow, resting my hands on my stomach gently. I stare up into the darkness, and realise that I can't even close my eyes anymore. So how am I meant to sleep now?

Somehow I manage to convince myself that the dark behind my eyes is the dark beckoning me to sleep. So my body quickly falls into a slumber, and my head is empty of all dreams... Until my eyes open.

Moonlight streams into the room, illuminating it in a silver glow, but I notice that something's not right almost immediately. Firstly, if this was real, how can I see? Secondly, when my eyes flicker up to the window, I see something very strange.

There's the moon, full and bright, hanging like an orb in the dark velvet sky, but a few stone throws away in the sky, sits the sun. It's darkened,

like a cloud has passed over it, but it's there, in the midnight blue sky along with the full moon.  
So I guess that whatever this is, it's a dream. It has to be to have both the sun and the moon in the sky. Li Shi has many strange and beautiful sights, but this is not one of them.  
Still, a part of me falls when I realise that my sight is only imagined, and in reality, I'm still trapped in the dark.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, and my feet hit the wooden floor. I glance around the room: my bed is positioned against the wall, the window on the wall it's side is resting on.

When I glance around the rest of the room, I realise that it's completely empty. The wooden floor is bare, and there's nothing else here. Worse, when I take a better look out of the window, I realise that the ground doesn't exist. It's just a rolling cloud of smoke and mist, shady and grey.  
I sit back down on the bed, breathing hard.

I don't understand this dream. It has no point at all. So what sort of dream is this?

"It's whatever you want it to be, Gordon." A voice says suddenly. My head snaps up, and I see a girl standing in the middle of the wooden floor, her eyes on me. I blink a few times, because she definitely wasn't here a moment ago.

She gazes at me calmly with ocean coloured eyes, the iris colours moving just like the waves, swirling lazily. That is another sign that this is another dream. Because nobody's eyes can do that in reality.

She's wearing a dress that sweeps on the floor, made out of some soft flowy material that both clings to her body and billows out. The sleeves are long, and hooked over her thumbs through holes cut out in the edges, and her hair is thick, the locks wavy, and separated neatly to rest on either shoulder. Other than those eyes, she looks normal.

"What do you mean?" I ask the image of my own dream, feeling slightly stupid. I have sunk to a new low: talking to myself in dream form.

"Exactly what I said." The girl shrugs. "This is your dream Gordon, not mine."

"I don't understand." I shake my head. "Why couldn't I just have a normal dream?"

"Because you changed." The figment of my imagination says simply. "And the change brings many discomforts. So your mind has created this delusion, created _me_ , to comfort you."

"I don't need comfort." I turn my head away from her. This isn't the first time I've had an 'aware' dream, where I know it's a dream and I can control my own actions, but it's certainly the strangest. Especially since it feels pretty real so far, despite from the obvious giveaways.

"Say it all you want." The girl shrugs. "I'm here though, so I think your subconscious disagrees with you."

Her dress makes a noise against the floor as she walks swiftly towards me, sitting down on the edge of the bed delicately. She glances at me with her mesmerising eyes.

"This is your dream, Gordon." She says softly. "This is where you can stop coping. Where you can stop being in control. Where you can just let it consume you. Because even if you teleport here, you won't move in your psychical body."

"How can you be so sure?" I ask her suspiciously. I don't want to trust her, because she's imaginary.

"This is a space created by you." She answers. "To help you cope. And since you created it, your gift also helped. You may not realise it now, but your gift knows that you can only take so much. Which is why it won't affect your psychical body. I promise."

I don't know why I'm trusting a part of my dream. But somehow, it feels right to trust this figment, so I put my faith in her. Maybe she'll be right. Maybe I will only teleport in my dream, and not in real life. I can only hope, as the energy takes over, and everything shifts again.

I find myself standing a way away from the bed, the girl looking at me expectantly. She blinks her huge eyes at me.

"Think of this, Gordon. This is your playground, your testing area." She starts. "You're safe here. You can't leave this realm, because this is a safe place created by you. Nothing you do here affects real life, understand?"

"How do you fit into all this?" I ask her warily. It all seems a little too good to be true - and then I remember that it's just a dream. And dreams are usually too good to be true. They are what we want, deep inside, but can't have. So this is why it seems too good to be true. Because it's not real.

"You long for company, Gordon." The girl shrugs, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm here to provide that. I'll be here to tell you comforting things, to hold you, and to talk to you."

"As a figment of my imagination. How comforting." I mutter, keeping my words quiet and barely audible. Yet I know she hears me by the slight smile flickering on her lips like the last flames of a dying fire, desperately trying to live even as it's extinguished.

"What do I call you?" I ask, to move on topics. "Figment? Imaginary? Dream girl?" I try to inject some dry humour into my words, but it comes out twisted and bitter.

"Call me… Lili." She says, pausing only slightly to consider her answer. I raise an eyebrow.  
"Like Liliana, my guide?" I point out. The girl, Lili, shrugs.

"It's a familiar name that you can relate to. And then you can pretend that you're talking to her and not a figment." She teases me gently.

"Okay - Lili." I smile slightly.

* * *

"He's unique, Jiaying." I hear the softly spoken words trickle through my ears. I frown slightly, and glance over at Lili, who is sitting next to me on the bed.

There's no-one in the room with us, but I can hear voices. They seem to echo through my ears, sounding as if they come from afar as well as feeling like they are close by.

"Unique?" Jiaying questions. It's unmistakably her voice. "Or dangerous?"

"What?" I look at Lili, who places a finger against her lips. She swings her legs over the edge of the bed, her hair falling over one shoulder. Her swirling eyes are mischievous and alluring, and I find myself staring into them for a few moments before her hushed words rip my gaze from hers.

"Shush, Gordon." Her voice is barely above a whisper on the breeze. "Just listen. Don't talk."

I obey her instinctively. I don't know why I obey her without question, but I do. My fingers curl on the edge of the bed, and I concentrate on those voices, my surroundings blurring into a white smoke as I listen, amplifying them louder.

"Dangerous?" The other voice – Liliana, I realise now – "Gordon's not dangerous, Jiaying. He's just scared. His change robbed him of a sense, and he can't control anything anymore. He's just scared." She repeats again. "He is a boy, Jiaying. A scared boy."

"Unique abilities can sometimes be dangerous, Liliana." Jiaying's response comes quickly. "You should know that more than anyone."

Liliana falls silent suddenly at Jiaying's pointed words, and I frown. What does she mean, Liliana should know it more than anyone? And why are they discussing my ability?

I don't dwell on the fact that I can somehow hear this conversation, even though I'm asleep. Living in Li Shi has taught me that anything is possible, so I remain quiet.

"Tell me. Does Gordon seem to be adapting to this gift?" Jiaying asks after a few moments.

"It's barely been a day, Jiaying. I don't have enough information to answer you right now." Liliana's response comes quickly. "Give us more time."

I don't understand Jiaying's hurry for answers. Surely I deserve the same amount of discretion she would give any other of the newly changed? Just because my gift is unique, surely that doesn't mean that I have to hurried into adaption?

"Gordon's ability is the only one of it's kind, Liliana. With it, we could revolutionise Li Shi." Jiaying says. "So I do not have the ability to give you more time. It's a luxury I can't spare. You must make sure that he masters this ability, and quickly. My patience will only hold out for so long."

I frown again. This Jiaying, the one talking, doesn't feel like the one I know. My Jiaying is calmer, sympathetic, and has patience to last for eternity.

This one feels wrong; she's impatient, coldly cruel and unforgiving. Even how she feels… how I can perceive her… it all feels very wrong.

It unsettles me: because this isn't Jiaying. Jiaying is not demanding. Jiaying has patience to rival the gods. She is kind, benevolent and understanding. Not cold, cut off or cruel.

And what does she mean, my gift could revolutionize Li Shi? All I do is move without meaning to. My gift is hardly powerful, or controlled. If anything, I'm an inconvenient Inhuman.

"I understand, Jiaying." Liliana says simply, remaining strong underneath Jiaying's harsh words. "And I'll try my hardest, but you can't expect a miracle. Gordon's only a new Inhuman. I can only work as fast as his mind can cope." Her voice is laced with an edge that, like Jiaying's steely and unforgiving words, is wrong on her.

Although I've barely met Liliana, I somehow feel as if I know what us right and what is wrong with her.

Lili next to me is completely silent, not moving an inch, her body carefully controlled. Unlike me, she is in complete control of herself.

Even here, in my dreams, my body shakes with the need to move. I dig my fingers into the edge of the bed, willing myself to obey my commands to stay put.

"I picked you for a reason, Liliana. Because I knew that you could get he results. _My_ results." Jiaying says calmly. "Don't disappoint me now."

Her words echo throughout my ears, reverberating with her calm, cold, _dismissive_ tone. This is not the Jiaying that we all see. This is the true side of her.

 _Jiaying is the creator of Afterlife. Her rules are solid, and they are always obeyed, because she knows best. Jiaying has faced more than any of us could imagine, so it's only logical that she rules us. Jiaying only wants the best for us._

 _Jiaying is calm. She is patient. She is kind and forgiving and everything a leader should be._

 _But she's also ruthless. Dangerous. And she will do anything for her people._

 _She is everything a leader should be._

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait for this chapter, guys! I've been having a hectic few weeks: my laptop broke, so I'm having that fixed, so I'm writing on my tablet now. Then a bunch of personal stuff happened as well, so I had to leave this chapter half finished, and I've only just managed to write the last part of it.**

 **Review response to** AbFictioner: _Thanks so much for this review! I must have grinned for an hour after reading it! I hope you enjoy the rest of the fic._

Kiss My Quiver: _Thank you for your review! I'm glad you're enjoying it._

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